The Obama administration continues to deport Haitians back to their hellish homeland, where a deadly cholera epidemic awaits. The Center for Constitutional Rights, among others, has been pressuring the administration to change its policy, and the group recently paid for a video ad in Times Square with the slogan: "The cholera epidemic in Haiti is killing thousands. Why is the USA still deporting people to Haiti? One deportee has already died." But without explanation, CBS Outdoor dropped the ad, which you can see for yourself here here: more ›

Following his appalling on-air comment last week, DJ Cipha Sounds of Hot 97 has been suspended indefinitely. He told his listening audience on Friday, "The reason I'm HIV negative is because I don't mess with Haitian girls." This led to a coalition of Haitian community leaders raising their voices and rallying outside of the Hot 97 headquarters, and now the Daily News reports that the station has suspended him, despite defending him at first and saying he was just a young man who made a mistake. more ›

When Saintpierre and Claizile Silien, Haitian immigrants who don't speak English, saw their youngest son's bad grades on his 4th grade report card, they decided to bring their teenage daughters as interpreters and speak to the principal at PS 135. But daughter Sredeline Silien said principal George Hadjoglou wasn't just indifferent, but outright offensive to their family. She told NY1 Hadjoglou said, "You need to get out of my school. Take your son home. It's not my problem that he has issues. I don't give a f--ck about you all. Ya'll Haitians think you can come in and do anything in my school. No. This is my school." more ›

Last night Honey Space, an art space run by Tom Beale at 148 11th Avenue, hosted A Picture of Haiti: Six Months Later (but you knew that, because you subscribe to our indispensable newsletter). Before getting in to the serious stuff, however, did you know that Honey Space used to be a sex club in the 1970s and 80s? more ›

A team of New York architects has designed a vinyl, octagonal structure they hope to set up in Haiti to help those left without housing after the January 12th earthquake. The 166 square foot structures are designed to withstand wind, hurricanes and earthquakes, and can be mass produced for about $3,000 each. HaitiSOFTHOUSE project manager Rodney Leon said, "There are people who are in these vulnerable conditions every day that can't live in those situations very long without getting sick. So we wanted to find something that was somewhere between a tent and a permanent house." more ›

Brooklyn DA Charles Hynes announced yesterday that 125,000 tons of seized knockoff goods would be donated to earthquake victims as a part of Operation Help Haiti. The confiscated goods, worth over $10 million, were taken from a Park Slope storage facility in 2009, and bear such names as Ralph Lauren, Diesel and Ed Hardy. "I feel wonderful. It's a celebration—certainly not a traditional prosecution," said Hynes. more ›

At least 30 Haitian survivors who had been sent to the U.S. in the aftermath of the earthquake have been locked up in detention centers in Florida since their arrival. They were all evacuated too quickly for immigration processing, but have been kept in immigration custody as deportations back to Haiti have been indefinitely suspended. The New York Times reports that dealings with Haitian refugees have been varied and random, with some receiving "humanitarian parole" status, some getting tourist visas that prevent them from working, and others being kept in detention. more ›

The United States Supreme Court ruled in favor of Honduran native Jose Padilla in Padilla v. Kentucky today [pdf], deciding that his right to counsel was violated when his lawyer told him pleading guilty to drug possession would not lead to deportation. Previously, two convictions for drug possession were the equivalent of drug trafficking if you're not a natural born citizen, and could lead to deportation even for legal residents. The law also prohibited courts from granting any exceptions. This interpretation of the law had already been rejected by four judicial circuits, including New York's, but approved by courts in Louisiana and Texas. more ›

Hooo boy. Former President's Bill Clinton and George W. Bush made their first joint visit to Haiti this week to help with the relief effort in Port-Au-Prince. But while the two of them shook hands with a local crowd, Bush looks at his hand, wipes it on Clinton's shirt and then turns away from the crowd (money shot at around 0:13). Clinton doesn't seem to notice, and continues shaking hands and taking pictures with the crowd while Bush presumably runs back to his convoy to administer a cootie shot. [Via Mediaite] more ›

After the devastating earthquake in Haiti, Grammy Award-winning singer Wyclef Jean's charity Yele Haiti received millions of dollars of donations before coming under fire for years of shaky accounting and reports that the nonprofit had given $410,000 to businesses tied to Jean. Now, according to Yele sources and tax documents, it appears that the former Fugee paid his personal assistant and mistress $105,000 in 2008—more than three times the salary of the program's director, according to Gawker. more ›

The night of prayer for Haiti organized by WLIB, which is going on right now in Times Square, is affecting subway lines on the West Side. The event, "A Night of hope, Healing and Prayer" in support of Haiti runs through 7pm in Times Square from 46th St through 48th St. Big name attendees include WLIB's Hezekiah Walker, Joel and Victoria Osteen, Pastor Donnie McClurkin and Reverend Al Sharpton. The MTA sent out a notification that the following lines will be delayed: 1,2,3,7,A,C,E,B,D,F,V,N,Q,R,W & S. more ›

Distressed Haitian immigrants will be able to get help at a resource center that's opening up on Monday. Gov. Paterson and Mayor Bloomberg have designated the National Guard Armory in Crown Heights as the go-to location for Haitians living in New York City. The "epicenter of New York's Haiti relief effort" will provide earthquake-related grief counseling and assist Haitian immigrants in applying for temporary protective status to allow their stay in the states. Located on 1579 Bedford Ave., The center will be open from 10am to 8pm on weekdays and from 10 a,m. to 4 p.m. on Saturdays starting next week. more ›

Kobe Bryant was in town, but he wasn't able to deliver his usual stellar performance at The Garden. Bryant, who had a 61-point outing in his last visit to New York City, finished the game with a measly 27 points. New York actually had a one-point lead entering the 3rd quarter, but unfortunately for the Knicks, the Lakers started the 4th quarter with a 20-9 run. Kobe was able to score 13 points in the 4th quarter to help the Lakers to victory. David Lee led the Knicks with 31 points and 17 rebounds while Wilson Chandler scored 28 points in the loss. more ›

Verizon announced today that it will waive long-distance fees on all calls to Haiti. That means that whomever you're calling—rescue workers, earthquake victims, or Scientologists—you won't have a hefty phone bill. "We want to help alleviate some of the agony being experienced by our customers trying to reach loved ones in Haiti," said Susan Retta, a Verizon executive, in a statement. The offer works on both cell phones and landlines, and the phone company will even give refunds for past calls after January 12th. Okay, it's only good up until the end of the month, but Haiti's sure to be back on its feet in a couple weeks, right? more ›

A team of New York City police officers and firefighters saved two children who had been buried beneath the debris of a two-story building since a devastating earthquake struck Haiti last week. After being flagged down by passersby, members of the 76-person NYPD/FDNY Urban Search and Rescue Task Force pulled an 8-year-old boy and a 10-year-old girl — believed to be brother and sister — from the wreckage yesterday at around 9:15 pm, according to the Daily News. That account corresponds closely with the above picture, posted today on the NYPD's Twitter page. According to an NYPD spokesman, the children received treatment at an Israeli tent hospital and were reunited with their parents, who had escaped the building collapse. "They were extremely dehydrated," the spokesman noted. more ›

Sorry to disillusion you, but Cash4Gold, the company that targets poor, desperate late-night TV watchers with endorsements by equally cash-strapped celebrities, is a scam! Okay, maybe you already knew that. But unless you're one of the poor chumps who dialed their 1-800 number, you don't know how they fleece customers—4 Cash!—or what the state plans to do about it. more ›

The U.S. Geological Survey says that a 6.1-magnitude aftershock hit 35 miles west-southwest of Port-au-Prince, Haiti this morning. The NY Times reports there were "shaking buildings and... screams of terror from the thousands of residents who have been camped outside since last week’s powerful earthquake"—this was the largest aftershock to hit the region so far. The latest earthquake comes as the U.S. military tries to open up more airports to receive aid. more ›

As 200,000 people are estimated dead from Haiti's 7.0 earthquake last week, Royal Caribbean cruise line defends its right to ferry vacationers to private beaches on the island. This weekend thousands of passengers boozed, para-sailed and sunned themselves just an hour's drive from the earthquake's epicenter. And other ships are scheduled to arrive! more ›

Approximately 200,000 people were killed, 250,000 were injured and 1.5 million were made homeless in the earthquake that devastated Haiti one week ago, according to new estimates from the European Commission. As the last of the survivors are pulled from the rubble, U.N. peacekeeping forces are fanning out in the capital of Port-au-Prince in an attempt to control the desperate masses. Though looting has been reported, some observers wonder whether stealing food after a disaster of this magnitude should really be characterized as looting. But U.N. troops don't seem to be giving that question much thought—yesterday Jordanian, Pakistani and Indian forces, who were unable to speak Creole, English or French, were caught on camera swinging night sticks at Haitians and firing rubber bullets into crowds. (Video below.) more ›

Members of NY's Urban Search and Rescue team used power tools to help pull four Haitians from the rubble of Port-au-Prince this weekend. Among them was a young girl who survived four days trapped in a grocery store. Another group, the Church of Scientology, used the texts of L. Ron Hubbard in their rescue efforts. more ›

The Haitian evacuee who caused a massive meltdown at JFK Saturday afternoon when he strolled through a door into a secure area says he was "lost" and "just looking for a cab." Jules Bouloute told police he didn't see the no entry sign. "I was looking for the entrance to find a taxi [and] somebody told me to go through the door," he said, according to court papers. "I went through and the alarm went off." Bouloute—who escaped from earthquake-devastated Haiti via the Dominican Republic—may have been a bit distracted, but should he pay for the cost and inconvenience he inflicted on passengers, staff and the state? more ›

With donations rolling in after last week’s massive earthquake, aid organizations are negotiating how best to implement their rescue missions to devastated Haiti. Individual success stories abound, but rescue workers and survivors must operate amidst the violence, danger and scarcity of resources that’s resulted from the natural disaster. more ›

Grammy-winner Wyclef Jean is “disgusted” by allegations he’s personally profited from his Haiti foundation, Yele. In a YouTube address the singer said he’s contributed $1 million of his own money to Yele and asked the public to wait for proof of the organization’s activities—forthcoming in future videos—and then judge if "Wyclef is the truth or not." However, he couldn’t explain away the inconsistencies for which he’s come under fire. more ›

President Barack Obama has tapped his two predecessors to lead major fundraising efforts for Haiti. "Presidents Bush and Clinton will help the American people to do their part, because responding to disaster is the work of all of us," Obama said in a speech. "In these difficult hours, America stands united." Meanwhile former-presidential daughter Chelsea Clinton has “spun” up her own creative way to help the victims of the earthquake. more ›

Thousands are being buried in mass graves after Tuesday’s earthquake in Haiti. While foreign aid trickles to the island amid chaos New Yorkers are mourning the dead and celebrating those who survived. more ›

In the aftermath of the devastating earthquake that struck Haiti on Tuesday, former Fugees star Wyclef Jean has emerged as one of the most prominent advocates for charitable giving in his home country. His nonprofit, Yele Haiti Foundation, has already netted more than $2 million in contributions via text messages. But that charity has a "lackluster history of accounting for its finances," and it has paid at least $410,000 to businesses tied to Jean in past years, The Smoking Gun reports. more ›

Yesterday it was announced that David Blaine would be setting up shop in Times Square for 72 hours of street magic, all in the name of raising money for Haiti. And before you hate, one commenter who saw him in action today pointed out that a man in the crowd told Blaine that his Mom is currently in Haiti, and he hasn't heard from her yet. He continued, "David truly cared and took the man's contact information to get in touch with people on the ground." more ›

There is good news and no news today for New Yorkers with relatives still missing in Haiti following Tuesday's devastating earthquake. Two NYU doctoral students who arrived just a day before the earthquake have been located, following several tense days of waiting. Nathalie Pierre, 24, of Brooklyn and Greg Childs, from South Carolina, were found safe, and flown from Port-au-Prince to the Dominican Republic by the US Coast Guard. And Brooklyn cab driver Pierre Coimin, who had been agonizing over the fate of his 4-year-old daughter, finally heard word from his daughter through the NY Post, which sent a reporter to Coimin with a photo of the girl, her mother, and the message, "Tell Daddy I love him." Others were not so lucky. more ›

Presto, chango! David Blaine is turning the Haiti tragedy into a self-promotional opportunity. Word on the street is that the magician will be performing 72-hours of non-stop magic in Times Square to raise money for the victims of the earthquake. He's working with the Red Cross, and will start his magical marathon tomorrow at 9 a.m. (at West 43rd Street and Broadway). Every little bit helps. If you spot him out there, send us your pics/video. more ›

The main morgue in Port-au-Prince is completely full, and hundreds of bodies are piled up outside and abandoned. It's been two days since Haiti's devastating earthquake, and power is still out in the capital and much of the country, food and water supplies are running out, the Haitian National Police have virtually disappeared, and looting is being reported. Ships can't deliver supplies into Haiti’s damaged port, the airport is barely functional, and roads are impassible. But don't worry Haiti, master of disaster George W. Bush has agreed to help! more ›